Motor-resolver systems are typically employed to accurately sense and control the position of rotating shafts. As a motor is employed to a resolver at a particular rate or rotational velocity, the output of the resolver is then fed to a motor controller to determine if the motor is properly driving the shafts. When a resolver anomaly is detected, the motor controller notifies the user with an error message (e.g., a visual warning, an audio warning, etc.).
Some devices (e.g., a hybrid vehicle) include multiple motors (and multiple resolvers) coupled to a single motor controller. In these devices, the motor controller often includes a resolver decoder for each respective resolver. For example, a hybrid vehicle includes a first motor for operation with the electric portion of the vehicle, and a second motor for operation with the combustion portion of the vehicle. The resolver associated with the first motor is coupled to a first resolver decoder, and the resolver associated with the second motor is coupled to a second resolver decoder within the common motor controller.
There are times, however, when one of the resolvers is malfunctioning and the motor controller transmits a warning to the user indicating that the motor coupled to the malfunctioning resolver is not working properly when in fact, it is the resolver decoder that is not working properly. Thus, it is often difficult to determine which of the resolver or the resolver decoder is malfunctioning when the motor controller transmits an error message.
Since replacing a motor (and resolver) or a motor controller are expensive, it is desirable to provide efficient systems and methods for testing a motor (via its resolver) and a resolver decoder coupled to the resolver to determine which of the motor/resolver and the motor controller is malfunctioning when the motor controller transmits an error message without replacing the motor or motor controller of a vehicle system (e.g., a hybrid vehicle system). Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.